New guidance puts less emphasis on marijuana use

WASHINGTON » Federal agencies should not automatically disqualify job applicants or take disciplinary actions against current employees for using or possessing marijuana, the government’s central personnel agency has said.

A memo from the Office of Personnel Management released Friday lays out additional considerations for what the government calls “suitability” decisions related to marijuana for both new and continued employment.

Federal employees remain bound by a federal law defining marijuana as a controlled substance, even though growing numbers of state and local jurisdictions have decriminalized it for medical or recreational purposes.